Lady Butler-Sloss should not lead the child abuse inquiry

Last week, Nick Cohen suggested that Lady Butler-Sloss was not the correct person to lead the child abuse enquiry. She has now resigned from her role.

The Guardian says today that Lady Butler-Sloss cannot be the right person to lead the inquiry into alleged child abuse.

‘Not only was her brother, Lord Havers, attorney general – and briefly lord chancellor – at the time of some of the allegations of cover-up. She is also of the same generation as those around whom rumours swirl. If she were still sitting as a judge, she would never contemplate being involved in a case that might touch, however remotely, on family or friends.’

Unfortunately, this isn’t true. I reported a few months ago on the case of Mr Justice Tugendhat and the former Tory party treasurer, Peter Cruddas, who sued the Sunday Times after it sent undercover reporters to interview him. The journalists pretended to be agents for foreign investors, who wanted to give money to the Tories, and covertly recorded as Cruddas talked.